Collapsible bookrest



March U. 3.958 J, EY 2&25fi98 COLLAPSIBLE BOOKREST Filed April 2, 1957 j zpwwar nits rates ice (IDLLAPSIBLE BQUKREST Frederick I. By, Boston, Mass.

Application April 2, 1957, Serial No. 650,210

2 Claims. ((11. 4580) This invention relates to bookrests of the type which may be collapsed compactly when not in use and which may be readily set up for use, objects of the invention being to provide a collapsible bookrest which is simple and economical in construction, which can be quickly and easily shifted from collapsed to operative condition or vice versa, which can be readily attached to a book and detached therefrom, which will hold books of different sizes in inclined position at any desired angle, and which is durable and reliable in use.

In one aspect the present invention involves a bookrest comprising an upright having a foot extending laterally from the bottom thereof, with a slot extending lengthwise of the upright and thence into the foot, a base having an operative position in which it extends transversely of the upright under the aforesaid foot and an inoperative position in which it extends lengthwise of the upright along one side thereof, the base having an opening intermediate its ends, and a fastener extending through the opening and thence through the slot in the upright so that, by loosening the fastener, the base may be moved from one of the aforesaid positions to the other and fastended in either position, together with means for supporting a book on the upright.

In another aspect the bookrest comprises an upright, a crossbar, means for fastening the crossbar to the upright in either an operative position in which it extends crosswise of the upright or an inoperative position in which it extends lengthwise of the upright, together with means for supporting a book on the crossbar. Preferably the crossbar is attached to the upright by a fastener extending through the crossbar and thence through a slot in the upright which extends lengthwise of the upright so that the height of the crossbar is adjustable. In the preferred embodiment the book is supported by clips engageable over the upper ends thereof and hooks for detachably connecting the clips to the crossbar.

For the purpose of illustration a typical embodiment of the invention is shown in the accompanying drawings in which Fig. l is a front view of a bookrest in operative position;

Fig. 2 is a side view of the bookrest in operative position;

Fig. 3 is a front view of the bookrest in collapsed condition; and

Fig. 4 is a side view of the bookrest in collapsed condition.

The particular embodiment of the invention chosen for the purpose of illustration comprises an upright 1 having a foot 2 at the bottom. Extending lengthwise of the upright are two slots 3 and 4, the slot 4 extending around the bend into the foot 2.. A base 6 is attached to the foot 2 by means of a machine screw '7 and a nut 8, the screw extending through an opening in the base and thence through the slot 4. The crossbar 9 is attached to the upright by means of a machine screw 11 and a nut 12, the

screw extending through an opening in the crossbar and thence through the slot 3. Extending forwardly from the crossbar near the ends thereof are two hooks 13. A book, which is shown at B in broken lines in Figs. 1 and 2, is supported on the rest by means of spring clips 14 which engage over the top of the book, the clips being detachably mounted on the hooks 13 by means of bars 16 attached to the upper end of the clips 14 by means of machine screws 17. A wire on rod 19 interconnects the bars 16 to space the bars the same as the hooks 13.

For use the parts are secured in the position shown in Figs. 1 and 2. By vertically adjusting the crossbar 9 the book may be supported in inclined position at any desired angle. To collapse the bookrest the clips 14 are detached from the book, the nuts 8 and 12 are loosened, the bars 6 and 9 are shifted to the position shown in Figs. 3 and 4 and the nuts are again tightened to hold the parts in this collapsed condition. When collapsed the clips may be left on the hooks 13 but usually it is preferable to detach them before shifting the bars 6 and 9 to inoperative position.

It should be understood that the present disclosure is for the purpose of illustration only and that this invention includes all modifications and equivalents which fall within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A bookrest comprising an upright having a foot extending laterally from the bottom thereof with a slot ex-- tending lengthwise of the upright and thence into the foot, a base having an operative position in which it extends transversely of the upright under said foot and an inoperative position in which it extends lengthwise of the upright along one side thereof, the base having an opening intermediate its ends, a fastener extending through said opening and thence through said slot so that, by loosening the fastener, the base may be moved from one of said positions to the other and fastened in either position, and means for supporting a book on the upright.

2. A bookrest comprising an upright having a foot extending laterally from the bottom thereof with a slot extending lengthwise of the upright and thence into the foot, 21 base having an operative position in which it extends transversely of the upright under said foot and an inoperative position in which it extends lengthwise of the upright along one side thereof, the base having an opening intermediate its ends, a fastener extending through said opening and thence through said slot so that, by loosening the fastener, the base may be moved from one of said positions to the other and fastened in either position, a crossbar, means for fastening the crossbar to the upright in either an operative position in which it extends crosswise of the upright or an inoperative position in which it extends lengthwise of the upright, said means including a fastener extending through the crossbar and thence through a slot in the upright extending lengthwise thereof so that the height of the crossbar is adjustable, and means for supporting a book on the crossbar, said base and crossbar being on opposite sides of the upright so that when turned lengthwise of the upright they may overlap each other.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 680,080 Skognold Aug. 6, 1901 743,678 Bear Nov. 10, 1903 1,200,744 Marjoram Oct. 10, 1916 1,564,708 Payne Dec. 8, 1925 1,570,973 Simonelli Ian. 26, 1926 1,631,355 Baldwin June 7, 1927 2,090,346 De Vore Aug. 17, 1937 

